The Baynhams

This is both a hard and joyous blog post to write. It will be the final entry to "The Baynhams" blog.

The blog was started in August 2005 and was intended to be a way to keep in touch with friends and family in Ireland and the UK as we planned our emigration adventure Down Under. Over the last 10 years I have written and published 2,300 posts and countless photos of our life as we adjusted to a new culture, made new friends, welcomed countless overseas visitors and celebrated amazing milestones. It has been a fantastic experience and I have met some truly wonderful blogging friends along the way.

Today we celebrate the 10 year anniversary since we landed in Sydney airport with three kids and eight suitcases. The kids are now teenagers and I have gone from being a stay-at-home mum to working as a nurse once again. Like everyone else time is a precious commodity and this year it has been an ever increasing challenge finding a balance between all the many jigsaw pieces of our family life. I realise that I have had less time to post here on the blog and I feel this is a perfect time to bring it to a close.

And so to everyone reading this post. Thank- you so much for being a part of this wonderful adventure with me. I have truly appreciated the friendship you have shown me, the comments you have left. I wish for you every happiness. The last ten years have been a roller-coaster ride and I'm so happy you have been a part of it!

On the same day as we celebrated my sister-in-laws 40th birthday we also celebrated the other 6 family birthdays that have taken place since we last got together! One of the birthdays was my brothers 40th. I was so excited to give him his gift which I had found online hand-made by a lady in Dalkey, Dublin. You can see her Etsy shop here. I had ordered them at the beginning of the year in plenty of time for his May birthday but it took till this month to actually meet face to face so we could enjoy celebrating and watching him open them. I will post a picture of them here tomorrow...

How amazing is Pinterest! I just love scrolling through page after page of wonderful ideas other people are happy to share. Such amazing creativity. We went to Sydney this weekend to celebrate my sister-in-laws 40th birthday. I was stuck for an idea for her and then saw a tutorial on how to make flowers out of chocolates and surround a nice bottle of champagne with them. This is what I managed to make using an enamel flower pot, florists foam, tissue paper, chocolates and Moet, all bought in our local shops. It was incredibly simple to do and turned out fancier than I had expected for a first attempt. How great is it to have access to such amazing ideas online!

Today my lovely sister-in-law Rhonda turns 40. As a mum with three little kids running around I wish her peace, quiet, a cup of tea uninterrupted, and someone else to pick up the toys off the ground for the day. Oh, and maybe a glass of bubbles or two... She deserves it!

Murphy loves riding in the car with me when I go out on short errands, especially if I am collecting the kids from school or work. He needs to be properly secured in his dog crate or using a harness that clicks into the three point seatbelt connection. He was very happy when I strapped him in to his new harness this week. Not as happy as the kids when they saw him waiting for them outside the school gate!

Life's been pretty full on here over the last few months. We have Gareth adjusting to life in High School, Rhiannon making subject choices for senior school, Sian studying hard for HSC, Uni applications being submitted, I'm working longer hours and Byron is flat out with his day job and some big evening projects that keep him at the keyboard until late most evenings.

It seems like the days are racing away with us all re-grouping for tea and then scattering to different parts of the house with heads down in books or laptops. Each evening the dinner plates are cleared from the table and replaced with a laptop, coffee and noise cancelling headphones, ready for Byron to take up residence for the next few hours. And repeat... and repeat...

Trying to remain focused on the positives and how lucky we are having these opportunities to further our minds and careers. Coffee helps!

I got this book as a gift in the post this week. I had just taken it out of the envelope when I noticed it was time to collect my daughter from work. As I sat outside in my car I looked at the clock on the car dash and laughed. Will I have managed to change my life by the time Rhiannon gets in the car....?!

A proud Mummy brag moment here this week as Rhiannon won the top prize in the junior division at her schools art show. I couldn't get her to pose for a photo until a friend insisted she get one of the two of us together! Thanks Julie, I owe you one!

Almost 10 years since we arrived in Australia I still find I am having moments where I have to pinch myself. My current job as a nurse has me driving between 7 hospitals scattered around the Newcastle area. There was a function today to thank the managers that we work with in those hospitals and it was held in a gorgeous room overlooking the ocean.

Today was the first really sunny day in ages. Winter disappeared and everyone was out walking and soaking up the Vitamin D. I stopped as I got out of my car and savoured the warmth. Then I sent a selfie to the kids and Byron which was a crazy thing to do moments before walking into the work function. My phone was vibrating with hilarious responses and selfies from them all in work and school which I wasn't able to look at. I ended up having to hide my phone under a table and had a great laugh when I went back to get it at the end of the afternoon!

With lemons hanging heavy on the tree in the garden I found myself using Google to find something sweet to make for a lazy Saturday morning tea. I found a great recipe for a Lemon Meringue CupCake. The cake batter seems to create a pastry and the centre oozes out as you eat it! Yum!

Ingredients

125g butter, at room temperature

155g (3/4 cup) caster sugar

2 teaspoons lemon rind, finely grated

2 eggs

150g (1 cup) self-raising flour

150g (1 cup) plain flour

125ml (1/2 cup) milk

Lemon curd

1 egg, lightly whisked

50g butter

2 teaspoons lemon rind, finely grated

60ml (1/4 cup) lemon juice

100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar

Meringue

Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar and lemon rind until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the flour and milk, in alternate batches, and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.

Step 3

Spoon mixture evenly among the lined pans and smooth the surface. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 4

Meanwhile, to make the lemon curd, combine the egg, butter, lemon rind and juice and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat. Strain through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to cool and thicken.

Step 5

Use a small knife to cut a V-shaped piece out of the top of each cake, about 1.5cm deep, leaving a 2cm-wide edge. Spoon the lemon curd evenly among cupcakes.

Step 6

Place eggwhites in a clean, dry bowl. Use an electric mixer to whisk until firm peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating well between each addition. Continue beating for 2-3 minutes or until sugar completely dissolves. Spoon meringue on top of each cake, using a round-bladed knife to shape in peaks over the cake and enclosing the filling. Use a small brulee gun to grill the meringue until lightly golden. Alternatively, transfer cupcakes to an oven tray; place under a preheated grill until lightly golden.

I attended a work event this week. At the end as we were tidying up the venue we were told we could take home one of the table floral decorations. The girl I was chatting to was taking hers home to give to her mum. Living on the far side of the world has its down days and I wanted at that moment to be able to casually drop in to my parents home on the way home from work so I could give them to mum. Technology is a wonderful thing and I thought of an idea. I took this photo and went online and sent it to her as a postcard. I know it's not quite the same as the real thing but hopefully it will still make her smile!

Murphy seems to know what time of day to expect the kids to return from school. He used to run to the front door when he heard the low rumble of a bus slow down on the road outside. Now that Sian has passed her driving test she drives in and out of school and Gareth and Rhiannon catch a lift with her. Murphy has given up running to the door as the school bus passes by but seems to now be tuned into the sound of Sian's car pulling up on the kerb instead. Clever boy!